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周折 (zhōu zhé) — setbacks, twists and turns, complications

Definition

Noun for setbacks and complications in the process of getting something done. Unlike 并发症 (medical complications) and 波折 (more literary 'vicissitudes'), 周折 highlights the trouble and effort required to reach a result.

noun
setbackstwists and turnscomplications
Measure word · 番

Examples

  • ，周折。
    Wèi le bàn chéng zhè jiàn shì, wǒ men fèi le yì fān zhōu zhé.
    We went through many twists and turns to get this done.
  • 周折，。
    Jīng guò duō cì zhōu zhé, tā men zhōng yú dá chéng le xié yì.
    After many setbacks, they finally reached an agreement.
  • 周折，。
    Zhè cì lǚ xíng yù dào le bù shǎo zhōu zhé, dàn zuì zhōng hěn shùn lì.
    This trip encountered quite a few complications, but it ended up smooth.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

周zhōucircling
折zhéturn

周 suggests circling and 折 suggests turning, together meaning twists and turns.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The oldest form of 周 drew a jade artifact with carved patterns. It was later borrowed for a place name, so an extra mark was added to distinguish it.

Open 周 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 屮𣏄𣏄a tree {{zh-m|*木}} cut in half
  • 斤斤jīnaxe

The shape originally showed an axe (斤) cutting a tree in half; in 折 the left part is now written as a hand.

Open 折 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Abstract Concepts

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